Desk for pianos.



Wirnesses. I Invenror.

Richard W. Ger-T2 4 j g, Y/mdMkfM.

R. W. GERTZ.

DESK FOR PIANOS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10. 1-914.

L288,%& Patented July 17, 1917.

RICHARD W. GEBTZ, 0F BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.

DESK FOR PIANOS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 1'7, 191?.

Application filed June 10, 1914. Serial No. 844,344.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD W. GERTZ, a citizen of the United States,-residing at Brookline, county of Norfolk,'State of Massachusetts, haveinvented an Improvement in Desks for Pianos, of which the followingdescription, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is aspecification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to music desks for pianos and particularly tomusic desks for grand pianos. The invention has for its object toprovide a music desk of novel construction in which the brace or supportfor the desk which holds it in its open or operative position is ofnovel construction, is permanently secured both to the desk and to therear rail of the music rack, andrequires no adjustment or manipulationto place it into operative position when the music desk is open. As aresult, the opening of the music rack involves merely swinging it upfrom its folded or horizontalposition into its open position withoutrequiring any manipulation of the brace or support, the latterautomatically assuming its operative position when the music desk isswung into its open position.

I have illustrated in the drawings, a.

selected embodiment of my invention which will illustrate the principlethereof, and in the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the music deskembodying my invention showing the desk folded;

Fig. 2 is a section on substantially the line wzc, Fig. 1, showing thedesk open and ready for use;

Fig. 8 is a similar sectional view showing the desk folded.

The music desk is shown at 1 and may be of any suitable or usualconstruction. It is pivotally secured at its lower end to the front rail2 of the music rack 3 which may be of any suitable or usual constructionand is herein shown as comprising the two end pieces 4 that areconnected by the front rail 2 and the rear rail 5. The end pieces 4 areherein shown as of suflicient size to constitute lamp supports, thisbeing a common method of making devices of this nature, although it isnot essential to the invention. The front rail 2 is of usualconstructiomit having the serrated upper surface 6 on which the musicrests and the upturned flange 7 at the rear end, to the upper end ofwhich the music desk 1 is hinged by suitable hinges 8. The parts thusfar described are or may be of any suitable or usual construction.

My invention relates particularly to the brace, by which the music'deskis sustained in its open or operative position shown in full lmes Fig.2. Thls brace is permanently secured to both the music desk 1 and getherin some suitable way, as at 11. The

section 10 is pivotally connected to the rear rail 5, as shown at 12,while the upper end of the section 9 is pivotally connected to the musicdesk 1 by a suitable hinge, as shown at 13. In making my braceconstruction, I propose to make the two sections 9 and 10 thereof withattaching leaves 14: and 15 which are hinged to said sections 9 and 10by the hinges 13 and 12. These attaching leaves 1 1 and 15 may besecured to the desk 1 and rear rail 5 in any suitable way. As hereinshown, they are provided with aper-- tures similar to the leaves of anordinary butt hinge to permit them to be screwed to the desk and rail,respectively. The hinge construction 13 is such as to permit theattaching leaf 14 to be folded upagainst the member 9 and similarly thehinge construction 12 is such as to permit the section 10 and theattaching leaf 15 to fold up against each other. The section 9 is longerthan the section 10. The relative lengths of these two sectionspreferably are such that when the music desk is folded, as shown in Fig.3, the hinge portion 11 will come substantially at the lower edge of thedesk and because of the fact that when folded the top face of the desk 1stands above the top face of the rear rail 5, the two sections 9 and 10of the brace will have a slight angle to each other, as clearly seen inFig. 3. When the music desk is opened up the section 10 will fold overagainst the top of the rear rail 5,

as shown in Fig. 2, and when it assumes this position it forms a rest tohold the lower end of the section 9 which being pivotally connected tothe music desk 1 constitutes a rigid brace to hold the desk initsoperative position. The desk. can be opened and rear rail 5 and rear ofthe desk, respectively, against whi'ch the sections and 9 ofthe braceengage as the desk 'is'openedor closed. Itwill be observed that myinvention is'eix tremely simplein construction and has the advantagethat the brace requiresno han d "manipulation to bring it into operativeposition'. Further because it is firmly'secured to both [the rail 5 andthe music desk 1, it w ll firmly hold'the music desk in its openpositionwhile allowing it to be readily folded.

' 'bodiment of my invent on, I do not wish to -=Although'I havedescribed a selected embe "limited to the constructional features'Oopiesfof this patent maybe obtained for shown. g I r V ,I claim:

' In a music deskjstructurefor pianos, the

"combination With a 'frame'or supporting portion comprising separatedfront and rear rails, of a music desk hinged to the front rail tofold'forwardly thereof into horizontal position, and a jointed bracemember 'comprising a strut section and rest section pivotally connectedtogether, the rest section being shorter than the strut section, saidstrut section being pivoted to the back of the music desk and the restsection being pivotally connected to the front edge of the rear rail soas to fold over against the top of said rail, the front and rear railsbeing spaced from each other a distance substantially equal to thelength of the rest section whereby when the music desk is foldedforwardly into closed position the joint between the 'two sections comesat the lower edgeofthe desk.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

a RICHARD W. GERTZ.

Witnesses:

LOUIS C. SMITH,

THOMAS J. DRUMMOND.

five' cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, 7Washington, D. G.

